Six Saudi-flagged supertankers changed course in the Gulf of Aden and headed for South Africa to avoid passing through the Red Sea after threats from the Yemeni Houthi movement to attack Saudi ships, data from vessel tracking systems showed, Reuters reported.
The tankers, which are empty after returning from Asian ports, are sailing in a group towards the Cape of Good Hope in (Republic of South Africa) instead of passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into the Red Sea, according to data from the LSEG and MarineTraffic platforms.
One of the ships, the Dilam, is with a final destination of Gibraltar.
The operator of the vessels, the Saudi company Bahri, as well as representatives of the authorities in Saudi Arabia has not yet commented on the change in route.
According to two trade sources, the decision to bypass the Red Sea was made because of the deteriorating security situation. Each of the supertankers has the capacity to carry up to two million barrels of crude oil.
According to calculations by "Reuters", the change in route will extend the voyage by at least 25 days for the ships if they are to subsequently reach Saudi ports on the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.
On July 20, the Iran-backed Houthis declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, thereby widening the conflict against the United States and its allies in the war with Iran.
A series of attacks on Saudi-linked ships also prompted the London marine insurance market last week to expand the "high risk" zone in the Red Sea, including areas near several Saudi ports.